Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Chandler has been funny lately as to what he wants to sleep with. First off is his yellow duck blanket. It is one that my mom gave to him that has his name embroidered in it. He has a hard time sleeping without his duck blanket as it is a comfort object for him. Lately, he's been taking random items to bed, clings to them for dear life and you cannot pry them out of his hands until he is dead asleep. Last week it was an apple, one time before that it was his tiger & animal book. This time, I had to laugh as he wanted to sleep with a full size basketball and football. He tries to put them under his arms and giggles uncontrollably knowing he gets to go to bed with his basketball and football. Typical boy, right? He rarely smiles for pictures unless Marshall or I are pulling some funny face. He was all about smiles when he had his two balls.

Looking back on prophets of the church, Gordon B. Hinckley is one that I will always fondly remember as he served as prophet for half my life up to this point. He was an amazing man and I can't help but think what a happy reunion he has had with his sweet wife. He will always be remembered.

Friday, January 25, 2008

So we are trying to get into the swing of things having 2 kids now. I'm starting to feel better and move around more but I still can't push it too much or else I'm hurting a lot at the end of the day and when I sleep. I'm also trying to spread out my pain meds and only take them when I realllly need them as my percocet is just about gone. :(

Monday & Tuesday Marshall was home from school & classes. Wednesday, Jana, my MIL came up for the morning & afternoon to help out. Thursday Monica & Tara came over with Ethan & Morgan. Chandler was so happy to see and play with other kids even though he was quite the bully. Hopefully they will want to play with him again. It was nice to have friends come visit & they even cleaned my kitchen. Thanks girls!

Today Natalie (my SIL) came up from Idaho Falls with her little girl Claire. We had a good visit - it's nice to have a sister in law that I get along so great with and have so much in common with. She is expecting a baby in June & found out today she is having a little boy. Congrats Chris & Natalie!My mom has been in and out, running errands and getting things for us. I know she'd be helping more but she's in Las Vegas at the Miss America pageant (yes I am jealous!)So I think the tv has been my best friend these last few days when I don't have company here. Well, Chandler's best friend anyway. I think we've watched just about every movie he has and then some. I feel bad that I can't pick him up and hold him but I was told not to for a few weeks. I'd hate to pop stitches out picking up a 30 lb toddler.

Here is my version of cooking the last day or two....french fries. I didn't even make Chandler get up into his chair, just plopped this big plate with fries & ketchup on the ottoman and let him have at it. Then it's back to sit on my rear again. That tells you how great and ambitious I am feeling. As we speak he's eating an ice cream bar. French fries & ice cream for dinner - I'm sure he loves me.

I'm really thankful Rowan has been such a good baby so far. Besides the fact that I have to change him 10-15 times a day & I feel like he is attached to my chest, he's really quite content. Glad to have a good baby when I have a maniac toddler. He looks different to me already even though he's only a week old. Seems to be getting chubbier :)

Marshall is an usher at the Rexburg temple tonight for the open house. He signed up for a shift from 4-9, then texted me later that he won't be home until 11. I'm sure that he's having a great experience as an usher, I wish I could have helped out with the openhouse.

So as Chandler finished up his ice cream there was a knock on the door. Dinner from someone in the ward......guess I didn't need to go to all the effort of making him french fries, lol.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

So we came home from the hospital on Sunday but the whole c-section recovery is crappy so I am just getting on now to blog. I thought I would bounce back a whole lot faster being that I didn't have to labor this time but I'm learning quickly that I can't push myself too much. If anything, Chandler is the most work. Marshall has been home from work & school the last two days and has been a saint. He's cooked, cleaned, entertained Chandler & waited on me hand and foot. I must have done something right in my life to get such a great husband. Rowan is such a happy content baby. He rarely cries and when he does it is only because he is hungry or needs a diaper change. We supplemented with formula in the hospital until my milk came in and now he's just exclusively nursing. I'm so glad I supplemented at first because it made me a lot less sore. He wants to eat every 2-3 hours but sometimes will have a 4 hour stretch of just sleeping. He has yet to spit up which is really surprising to me as Chandler didn't have acid reflux but did spit up quite a bit. Chandler is doing well adjusting but we really have to watch him as he mauls Rowan with kisses and affection, sometimes a little too much. We took Rowan to the pediatrician today and he was 8 lbs 13 oz & 21 inches. I'm glad to hear he's almost back to his birth weight as he was only 8 lbs 4 oz when we left the hospital. He looks great in every way according to the pediatrician.

Here are some coming home pictures & Rowan in his swing the night we came home when he was 3 days old. I love how alert he is in this video.

This pic is right after his first bath

Here is his birth story. It's really long and wordy but Chandler's was too and looking back on it, I'm really glad his is so detailed.

Rowan's Birth Story (From the eyes of his mom)

It seemed like a long time coming before Rowan made his appearance. After 4 weeks of being checked and making no progress, we opted for an elective c-section at 40 weeks and 5 days. I had a really hard time sleeping the night before and got about 4 hours total. I kept waking up and thinking we would be late to the hospital as we had to be there by 6 am. It’s kind of a funny feeling knowing you are going to have a baby that will be born 2 hours later. We got to the hospital, got checked in and it seemed like a whirlwind from there. They hooked me up to a monitor as they needed to monitor him for at least 20 minutes. I had a catheter placed and I swear it felt funny but one of the nurses said it could be irritating at first. I still felt like I had to go to the bathroom even though my bladder was being drained and it made me feel jumpy. Weird, I know. They placed the IV and started pumping fluids through me. Then there was “the shave” Gotta love it. There were nursing students there and the last thing I wanted was a whole bunch of students hanging around. No offense to nursing students. My day nurse asked if “some students” could watch the c-section. I saw 7 or 8 students when I walked in the door to be admitted so I was thinking like 3 or 4 of them and I did NOT want that. I was ok with 1 being in there, so we had one student nurse in for the delivery. By the time the surgery team came to get me, it was about 7:15 am. I felt really jumpy and really really apprehensive even though this c-section was much more relaxed than Chandler’s. We got into the OR, and of course it was freezing – what OR isn’t?

Thank goodness for the warm blankets ☺ I had to sit on the side of the table so the nurse anesthetist could do the spinal. Ok – so epidurals are great but spinals are incredible, lol. My anesthetist (Todd) was awesome and did a really great block. Before he did it, I could not stop shaking and had the worst cotton mouth you could ever imagine. I felt like I couldn’t swallow & was cold and scared. I had a nurse holding my shoulder & Todd talked me through the spinal, telling me the more I rounded out my back, the better block I would get. As soon as he had it in, I felt the numb warm going up my legs and the catheter didn’t bother me anymore which was nice. I started to relax too. Marshall came in all suited up and looked so cute in surgery clothes. I know this should be the last thing I’m thinking as I’m about to be sliced open but he did just the same. Todd told me if my pinkies started to go numb that I would have a great spinal block. Right after they started cutting, my pinkies went numb ☺ Dr. Barton did the c-section with Dr. Crouch assisting. Dr. Crouch was our bishop for a couple months right before Chandler was born so he knows Marsh & I personally. (Plus the fact that I work at the hospital) Here’s how the conversation goes as they are cutting into me:

Dr. Crouch: “So Marshall – you still in the bishopric?”Marshall: “No, actually, I was released a couple weeks ago.”Dr. Barton: “What, did they catch you smoking out by the back door or something?”Laughter all around…Dr. Barton: “Dr. Crouch smokes, he just hasn’t been caught yet.”More laughter….

I am amused at this casual conversation going on when Dr. Crouch says, “Oh, he’s another big one!”Just then, Rowan made his appearance, at 8:03 am. He was screaming and I can’t explain the feeling happiness that swept over me. Not to mention I felt like 10 lbs lighter and I could breathe! Rowan was 8 lbs 14 oz, 20 ½ inches, head was 14” and chest was 14”

It took them a little while to stitch me up, all the while Dr. Crouch was pointing out my uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries and all sorts of other goodies out to Marshall. When I had my c-section with Chandler, my skin healed up with what is called a keloid scar which means it had an overgrowth of tissue while it was healing. Sometimes I would get pain in the side of the scar where it healed like this, especially if I wore pants that were too tight. It basically scars really big and raised, almost reminds me of how an earthworm looks. They cut that whole scar out and hopefully I will scar better this time. I had to spend about 35 minutes in recovery so they could monitor my blood pressure. They brought Rowan into recovery so I could nurse him – his blood sugar was only 36 after birth which is somewhat worrisome. Really low blood sugar for an extended period of time can cause brain damage which is scary. I was still numb from about the neck down so that was a funny experience – trying to nurse when I couldn’t even feel my body. He did great though.We spent the next three days in the hospital and I had the most amazing care and realized just how great my co-workers are. My door was decorated by all of them, gotta love the lovely blue chucks they used...he he

When my spinal started to wear off, my catheter started feeling funny again, like I needed to go to the bathroom and couldn’t. Monica, my friend & night nurse on Thursday said I shouldn’t be feeling that way. She realized I had no slack and that the tube was kinked. Such a simple fix, yet it made a world of difference and she drained a ton from my bladder. I know this is all TMI, but next time I will know that it’s not in right if I feel that kind of discomfort. I had a lot of horrible itching that day, due to the spinal and was retaining a TON of water right after. I couldn’t stop rubbing my eyes because they were so itchy and by the time I was able to get up to the bathroom, I looked like I’d been through a war with my puffy face and red red eyes! Friday night my other friend Tara was my nurse, and she made me up some pretty good “goody bags” Ok, so to many, pads, tons of mesh underwear & formula may not seem like “goodies” but they were to me, lol. That first day that Rowan was born, I COULD not sleep. I didn’t fall asleep until 1 am on the 18th (the day after he was born) I think I was just super wired. Thank goodness for Ambien! I had to keep compression stockings on the first day or so to help prevent blood clots. I cannot believe that I have 2 kids right now. Looking at Chandler a few days before I had Rowan, I wondered how I could ever love another child as much as him. Now I really know a mother’s love as I love them both so much. Chandler seems like such a big boy next to his newborn brother too. He loves to kiss and hold Rowan and I know they will be good buddies. Rowan has a very mild temperment and is really happy baby. He already loves his swing and bouncer and loves to snuggle. We are really blessed to have Rowan in our family.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Rowan Niels Snedaker was born on 1/17/08 at 8:03 am at Madison Memorial Hospital via c-section. He was 8 lbs 14 oz & was 20 1/2 inches long. Head and chest were both 14". After much comparing, we've decided that he looks a lot like Chandler with a few differences. He is a great baby but honestly wants to eat all of the time. He nurses for 40-45 minutes and will drink 1/2 oz of formula on top of that. Big boys need lots of food I guess, lol. I will write up a longer birth story when we get home from the hospital - we'll prbably be here until Sunday morning. He's a beautiful baby and we feel so blessed. Chandler loves his brother & loves to give him kisses. I'm pretty doped up on percocet, tylenol w/codeine & motrin so it'd be better if I write more when I'm more coherent! I've had amazing care & nurses and am so grateful to everyone who's come to visit!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Had my last appointment today and.....my body is doing NOTHING. I'm sure everyone else is surprised as I am....not, lol. Final weight is 178. Marshall was asking if I would ever go into labor on my own. I guess I probably would, maybe not until 42 weeks though and I wouldn't let myself go that long. The placenta can start to deteriorate and I wouldn't want it to fail on the baby. Plus, where I've gone almost a week over, chances are I would end up in another c-section if I were to go into labor at this point.

I've come to terms with having a repeat c-section and now I'm just excited to meet this little guy. I went up to the hospital to do my pre-interview & get blood work done. We have to be up to the hospital by 6 am tomorrow morning & I'm sure we will be back in surgery by 7.

In less than 24 hours I will be holding our new little Snedaker adddition - wish us luck!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Yep, I'm still here. Gladly I will be done in 2 days although I am really anticipating my body going into labor. Surely it knows it is supposed to now, right? I have an appt tomorrow and will fill out paperwork for my c-section on Thursday. I'm eating myself out of house and home here too, lol. And yes, I feel as nasty as I look in this picture.Any guesses on how much this little guy will weigh and how long he will be? He doesn't feel as big as Chandler, but you never know. My personal guess - 8 lbs 4 oz & 21" long. (To help you guess, Chandler was 9 lbs 1 oz, & 22" long, born at 40 weeks 6 days.)On a funny sidenote, they like to try to schedule c-sections on Tuesday & Thursdays, or so Dr. Barton told me. If Rowan would have been born on Tuesday or Thursday in the next 2 weeks, he would have been born on someone's birthday. Natalie (my SIL's) birthday is today - Happy Birthday Nat!, Ashley's (SIL) is on the 17th and will probably have to share her birthday, Claire (niece) is on the 22nd, & my sister Avry's is on the 24th. What are the chances?I'll update after my appt tomorrow and probably won't update again until next Sunday or so (depending on when we come home from the hospital)

Saturday, January 12, 2008

For those of you wondering, no baby yet. What a day - no hugely pregnant woman wants to go over her due date and unless I deliver in the next 6 hours, which is highly unlikely since I am having NO contractions, he will be late. It's hard having a good attitude today if you can't tell :( I envy every woman who has their babies 1-2 weeks early. How ideal. I'm really tired of the many comments when I go anywhere too - things no woman wants to hear, such as:

1) "You haven't had that baby yet?" Response in my head, "Yeah, actually I have - this is just an 8 lb tumor I'm carrying around....what do you think?"

2) "You are really big!" Me: "No kidding? I only live with this belly!"

3) "Enjoy your sleep/time because you'll never get any once that baby arrives!" Me: I already have a 2 year old and work nights....uhm - hello?!"

4) "That baby looks like it is going to fall out!" Me: "Easier said than done - he hasn't "fallen out" yet...."

5) "Are you pregnant or just fat?" Me: "At this one, I don't know what even to say, who would say that to anyone?"

So maybe I shouldn't be blogging when I'm in a bad sarcastic mood, lol

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

A BIG BIG Happy Birthday to Marshall on the 7th. He turned 25, a quarter of a century old! Crazy how quickly time goes!

Here is hopefully one of the final belly pics from today, 39 weeks 4 days. If you are wondering if my back hurts, the answer is yes......

I worked my last two shifts this last weekend and all of the nurses were trying to get me to go into labor. No such luck, I'm still here and as pregnant as ever! Thanks for trying though Tara, Melody & Janalee :)

I had a dr.'s appt today and nothing has changed. I'm beginning to feel a little depressed to say the least. Dr. Barton wasn't sure the baby was head down so I had a quick ultrasound today and he is head down. I guess that was the perk of the day. Saw his cute little head & button nose. On the downside, my weight is up 7 lbs from last week, (weighing in at 179) gotta love that. I guess the holidays just took an extra week to catch up with me. Dr. Barton said even if I was able to be induced, I wouldn't be favorable enough at this point. I scheduled a c-section for next Thursday, the 17th, if he's not here by then. I have an appointment next Wednesday too. I really don't mind having another c-section if it weren't for the fact that it is decided how many kids we will have by having a repeat c-section. After 4 sections, your chances of rupturing go up something like 80% and after 5, they really encourage you to be done. I'm not saying I want 12 kids, I just hate knowing Marshall & I won't get to make the decision on when our family is complete. Anyways, enough whining, I will meet this little guy within the next week! Any prayers offered on my behalf to go into labor on my own would be much appreciated :):) Marshall's mom made a yummy chocolate cake for his birthday and sent half of it home with us. I think I'm going to go eat myself into a sugar induced coma as Jeralee would say and then go to the store for more sugar.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

So I am blogging at 6 am. For those who know me well, I usually don't get up until 9. I've been having dreams all night about the Rexburg temple. Interesting, I know - but I have the same dream that is about 10 minutes and then I wake up. Waking up every 10-20 minutes after I fall asleep makes for a long night, so I figured I'd just get up for a little bit. Oh, and maybe the temple is on my mind because we attended the openhouse on the 3rd. Beautiful, amazing & great spirit there, need I say more?

Friday I went after Christmas shopping with my mom. We were gone all afternoon and I had high hopes that all the walking would put me into labor. Yeah right! I called Marshall one particular time and he said that he and Chandler were building a snowman. Good activity when there is great packing snow, right? He mentioned that he tried using food coloring for the eyes and nose and it didn't work so great. Here is the finished product. Just a LITTLE freaky, don't you think? ROTFL Looks like a snowman from a horror movie :)

After much looking around, we found a little tube for Chandler and took him sledding at Smith Park. He absolutely loved it! Later that day we went down to Grandma & Grandpa Snedaker's house and he rode behind the 4 wheeler in a sled. He really liked that too. This is one little boy who loves the snow!

On New Years Eve we went up to the Birch's apartment. Chandler & Carson watched movies & played like wild men. (What's new there, right?) We played games with Jeff & Sara and ate tons of snacks. It was a lot of fun and sure beats sitting at home by ourselves like we have the last few years!

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Had an appointment today and no progress. Still not dilated, effaced, anything. I guess I should enjoy the last little bit of my time with only Chandler but it's hard when I'm as big as I am. Baby is measuring term (40) weeks & my weight was at 172 today. Nice that I haven't really put on weight in the last month. My BP was a little high but not high enough for them to really be worried. Dr. Allred said this baby is really taking up every bit of space that he possibly can. He's not moving as much but I think it's due to him not having any room. Anyways, I think it's a good possibility that I will go to my due date and probably over. It would be nice to deliver sooner rather than later as Marshall doesn't have work or school again until the 9th.